Jim Nantz was on the call for Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Los Angeles Rams game on CBS along with Tony Romo. In the week leading up to the game, the veteran CBS announcer said there was one thing he would not discuss regarding Tom Brady.
Nantz was interviewed by SI’s Jimmy Traina for the “SI Media Podcast.” Traina asked Nantz whether he would bring up Tom Brady’s divorce during the telecast. Nantz said no because he feels the matter is “out of bounds.”
“That story has been hovering throughout the season. And I’ve watched the games and haven’t really heard anyone address it,” Nantz said. “So I kind of feel like that’s out of bounds. It’s his personal life. Tom’s a friend, I wish him well and his family well. I’m gonna be there to cover a football game so I want to be respectful.”
Nantz also said he did not think Brady’s divorce from wife Gisele is impacting his play/the Bucs’ record.
“I want to talk about the game,” said Nantz. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the reason why the Bucs are 3-5. I think that’s what we’ll focus on.”
Nantz also said he thinks it’s “sad” that many people don’t respect the requests from people like Brady and Gisele to respect their privacy.
If Nantz does not want to bring up the divorce out of respect to Brady’s privacy, that’s one thing. But to deny that it’s having an impact on Brady’s play is another.
Brady is known for his incredible preparation. His teammates absolutely raved about Brady’s preparation as being a key reason for their Super Bowl win during his first year with the Bucs. A player that known for his preparation missing significant practice time during training camp and the season — as Brady has — and also being distracted by his personal life, is absolutely related to the quarterback’s play and the team’s record.
